But won't Vladimir get jealous?

Bush surprises Koizumi with Segway gift

In the latest sign of their chummy ties, U.S. President George W. Bush gave Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a surprise gift of a Segway electric scooter on Wednesday and urged him to take a spin.

Bush, who often refers to his warm friendship with Koizumi, gave the Japanese leader the upright two-wheeler ahead of a summit at which they reaffirmed their close diplomatic ties.

Bush was riding the vehicle when he met Koizumi outside the Kyoto State Guest House in the ancient Japanese capital, a Japanese pool report said.

Urged by Bush to give it a whirl, Koizumi took a brief 1 metre (3 ft) ride, and cried out, "Oh, very good."

Bush told the prime minister he'd given his father, former President George Bush, and mother, Barbara, Segways for their birthdays, adding he felt Koizumi was almost one of the family.

The close ties between the two allies were on public display later in the day when Bush told a news conference: "Prime Minister Koizumi is one of my best friends in the international community. I know the prime minister well.

"I trust his judgement. I admire his leadership."

The scooters can be tricky to ride. Bush fell off one two years ago but managed to land on his feet. It is also illegal to ride them on public byways in Japan.

Maybe it's just because I'm sleep-deprived, but this borders on positively filthy. And the mental image of Dubya, Bush Sr. and Barbara tooling around on Segways is amusing me far more than it should. "Damn it, George, you just steamrolled another small child!"